Michael Richard Swanson will plead guilty to second Iowa murder

Michael Swanson has already been found guilty of murdering Sheila Myers in cold blood at a store in Humboldt, Iowa, last November. Now he's going to plead guilty to the second murder that night, of Vicky Bowman-Hall, in Algona.

His legal team is telling Iowa reporters that it will file Swanson's amended plea on Thursday afternoon -- after a morning court appearance in which Swanson will be formally sentenced for gunning down Myers.

If he follows through, it will close out a case that began with a depraved road trip of bloodthirsty violence, continued through a bizarre court appearance in which he laughed at his predicament, and culminated last week with Swanson's mother struggling through tears to understand and explain her son's depravity and mental state.

WCCO caught the smiling convicted murderer.

Then he smiled broadly when he was found guilty, and flipped off reporters covering the trial.

Swanson was already a teenager with a troubled history last year when he stole his parents' SUV in St. Louis Park, drove it to their cabin up north, stole his fathers guns and ammunition, and then sped south to Iowa.

For no rhyme or reason he visited two separate gas stations, shot the two women dead, stole some cash and cigarettes, and then drove to a McDonald's where workers recognized him from an APB and stalled him until the cops arrived.